diff --git a/pageserver/src/walreceiver/walreceiver_connection.rs b/pageserver/src/walreceiver/walreceiver_connection.rs
index 7b93146b4c..93d1745a08 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/walreceiver/walreceiver_connection.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/walreceiver/walreceiver_connection.rs
@@ -129,9 +129,6 @@ pub async fn handle_walreceiver_connection(
 
     let mut walingest = WalIngest::new(timeline.as_ref(), startpoint)?;
 
-    let mut decoded = DecodedWALRecord::default();
-    let mut modification = timeline.begin_modification();
-
     while let Some(replication_message) = {
         select! {
             _ = cancellation.changed() => {
@@ -154,19 +151,23 @@ pub async fn handle_walreceiver_connection(
 
                 waldecoder.feed_bytes(data);
 
-                while let Some((lsn, recdata)) = waldecoder.poll_decode()? {
-                    // let _enter = info_span!("processing record", lsn = %lsn).entered();
+                {
+                    let mut decoded = DecodedWALRecord::default();
+                    let mut modification = timeline.begin_modification();
+                    while let Some((lsn, recdata)) = waldecoder.poll_decode()? {
+                        // let _enter = info_span!("processing record", lsn = %lsn).entered();
 
-                    // It is important to deal with the aligned records as lsn in getPage@LSN is
-                    // aligned and can be several bytes bigger. Without this alignment we are
-                    // at risk of hitting a deadlock.
-                    ensure!(lsn.is_aligned());
+                        // It is important to deal with the aligned records as lsn in getPage@LSN is
+                        // aligned and can be several bytes bigger. Without this alignment we are
+                        // at risk of hitting a deadlock.
+                        ensure!(lsn.is_aligned());
 
-                    walingest.ingest_record(recdata, lsn, &mut modification, &mut decoded)?;
+                        walingest.ingest_record(recdata, lsn, &mut modification, &mut decoded)?;
 
-                    fail_point!("walreceiver-after-ingest");
+                        fail_point!("walreceiver-after-ingest");
 
-                    last_rec_lsn = lsn;
+                        last_rec_lsn = lsn;
+                    }
                 }
 
                 if !caught_up && endlsn >= end_of_wal {